Fast forward to 2016 and I was thinking about getting something sporty again after running a 3 series for a few years. Sold that and bought an excellent second hand CR-V for dog and utility duties and had noticed the new ND. Couldn't help notice it really, it was and still is a gorgeous looking car.
So I bought the car new in July 2016 from Newstead Mazda (bought a couple of cars from them now, have always had a great experience in sales and service). I was having lunch with a mate and talking about the the car as I'd placed an order for it to get the spec I wanted from factory and we were talking about the idea of custom plates. Being a geek I was tempted with MXWING but it didn't click as much as I wanted to, and the then I thought of Roadster and the gram strategy Mazda had in mind with its design. I figured dropping the vowels should save a few grams
Hence, RDSTRAs of this post I've managed to put about 78,000 km on it. Most of that was using it as a DD to get from Brisneyland to the Sunny and Gold Coasts a couple of times each week for the first few years.
As far as mods go... well, I've always tended to do a bit of work to my cars and bikes over the years but I was bitten hard this time. I think it was a combination of how much I enjoyed working on the car myself and doing those bits and pieces I was comfortable with. Here's a list of current mods in (more or less) order of installation and my thoughts on them.
1. MCA suspension. One of the best mods done hands-down. Started off with the X-C setup and had it re-valved a couple of years ago to a custom job thanks to Josh. Compliant handling for around town just a click or two off soft and my track day/advanced driver training settings aren't quite full hard, so it's in a perfect range for me. I actually started with Eibach springs only and realised I'd only done half the job I needed. Very pleased to have changed over to full coils.
2. Alignment. I'm listing this as a mod because readers here likely don't need to be told how important this is. Ken at Accurate Suspension did his usual wizardry here.
3. Exhaust system. This was actually a bit of a moving feast. I started with the HKS Legamax Premium which I quite enjoyed, and wanted to go to something a bit louder and picked up the GReddy Supreme SP which was my favourite out of the two. More recently I decided to finally change my headers over and the GReddy wasn't a great match for the new setup. Which brings me to where I am now - full BBR GTi system of 4-1 ceramic coated header, mid-pipe with high flow cat, and their Grand Tourer silencer. Brilliant setup, couldn't be happier with it.
4. Engine tune. Started with OFT and had no problems with it. I wanted to go to a custom tune for my car with the full exhaust system so moved to the Fab9/Versatune option which has been excellent as well. Running E85 now which not only smells sweet but delivers a great kW and Nm bump.
5. Rays Gramlights 57Transcend wheels 17"x7.5J. First every pair of aftermarket wheels I've bought myself and a nice unsprung weight saving. Looks beaut and I keep my OEM wheels with old tyres on for skid pan days. Currently running Bridgestone RE003 215/45R17. Thought about some 16" TE37s but not this year...
6. Flyin' Miata/Wilwood Little Big Brake Kit running Winmax W3 pads. I do most of my ADT at Morgan Park and this caliper and pad combo has been awesome. Lap after lap of fade-free, consistent braking. Wasn't easy finding a spot to mount the mod-plate though! Not a lot of room in the engine bay. Again another nice unsprung weight reduction.
7. Autoexe bracing. Started off with the FSB which reduce a lot of cowl movement and tied the front end together nicely then progressed to the RSB, Centre brace, and Mastervac brace. I've decided the reason they're painted red is to hide the blood I shed whenever I install something on the car but that quite honestly says more about me. The centre brace was the most noticeable in feel after the front, it had a significant NVH improvement. Car feels very planted and solid without losing any playfulness or lightness. I get that this goes against the "adding lightness" concept however the trade-off in this case is worthwhile IMO. More recently I've installed the upper and lower bushing sets as well as the tie rods. The bushing sets did a great job of again making the car feel much more taught but without any significant harshness to the ride. OEM manufacturer bushings are used with a higher durometer together with Autoexe arms. Great quality like the rest of their gear and I'm quite chuffed with it. The intake hose and oil cap likely add about 5 killer wasps each, but they sure look good under the bonnet.
8. Raceseng shifter. For looks and feel, I've tried the Signature Custom knob and currently use a Stratose. Both are excellent but I think I'll sit on the Stratose as my shifter of choice. Black capped with perforated leather grip.
8. Sakebomb Garage 2-piece rotors. The latest edition to the car and I was due to try these aggressively next week at Morgan Park, however recent knee surgery is putting paid to that idea for now. 1kg lighter on each corner than OEM and a direct replacement, they have the added benefit of curved vanes and a slotted surface.
9. Guardian Designs Corsa steering wheel. Custom steering wheel a tad smaller in diameter than OEM with perforated leather sides and two-tone motorsport stitching. It's on it's way at the moment and I'm really looking forward to fitting it. Should finish off the interior very nicely.
I think barring being able to find a second hand set of OEM Recaro seats this is me pretty much done in terms of mods now. It drives just the way I want it to, where it's great to daily around town or on the highway while being very capable around a circuit when the opportunity permits. Couldn't be happier with owning my MX-5 and how it's turned out over the years.
It shouldn't go without mention the awesome people I've been able to meet over the past five years through owning this car - various clubs and shows remind me that the drivers are what makes the car scene so awesome just as much as the cars. The input and contributions both around town and online have been a big part of this journey.
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